Reflux in My 4 Month Old and Weird behavior(Sandifers Syndrome)

You already have many good responses. My additional suggestion (if you have not tried this):
Though reflux is her problem, it may still be better if you carry her in an upright position after she eats, as well as when she appears to be in pain. The upright position may assist in her digestion and decrease reflux; the actual problem may not necessarily be what she is drinking (although it can become so from continued reflux) Carrying her will also provide much needed comfort when she is in pain.

Your daughter sounds a lot like my son at that age. Here is what I would do if I were you. 1. make an appointment with a good pediatric GI doctor. 2. While you are waiting for the appointment, switch formulas - you said she is on a probiotic formula, is it milk or soy based? If it's milk, try soy, if it's soy, try a hypoallergenic formula. My son couldn't handle any of those, so he ended up on elemental formula. 3. quit introducing new foods until you get her current issues figured out! No oatmeal and no rice, they could be contributing to the problem!

My son doesn't have Sandifers syndrome, he has an eosinophilic disorder.

Reflux behaviors include trunk arching, turning head away from food, acting hungry but only able to eat small amounts. I would recommend you take your daughter to a GI docter to rule out any other issues. Significant reflux can cause feeding problems down the line, as the child associates food with pain. Good luck
Cathy (pediatric occupational therapist)

I haven't had any experiences like this but feel so badly for your precious daughter. The poor little distraught cherub. Must be hard to watch her suffer. You've done a terrific job researching and advocating. I hope she heals quickly. Blessings.

I sure hope your baby gets better soon. Without her being able to tell you what's she is feeling is very scarry.

In my opinion, the probiotic was a great choice.

Did you know that we do need acids in our stomach to help digest food? With that said, enzymes help the stomach with acids and helps digest food without side affects.

Has the doctor ever said what prompted your baby to have this problem?

Good luck and many blessings.

I wouldn't give a baby Zantac or Prevacid. Reflux...acid reflux, right? that can be dealt with by alternative practitioners. It's just that the stomach is "out of whack" a little and is pushed up a little. I had reflux for years and then someone told me about having my stomach adjusted. Much like a chiropractor adjusts your back. Often if the stomach is full, it little 'juggle' can get the stomach back in place, just by the weight and bounce. There are other methods for getting the stomach back into place too. I can offer a telephone number to a lovely lady who does this. Let me know. It's way better than pumping junk in a baby with side effects.

Oh, I feel your pain!! Both of my children did the same thing. However, my first, the Dr. kept telling me it's nothing, it's reflux, it's colic well .............LONG Horrible story made short. HE was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. Does your child have any rashes anywhere, if so those are signs of allergies. Something to check it out. We did all the same stuff that you are, get to a Pediatric Gastro specialist (Make sure it's ped's) there hard to come by, at least in MI. I'm curious as to how this turns out. Once my son was diagnosed, he was put on a prescription formula that is 100% digested, mmmm, the name escapes me, it's a yellow can, expensive and again prescription. There is help, stay positive, I understand your frustration :-)

My son went through similar symptoms and it ends up he has a milk protein allergy. Those with this allergy usually have a sensitivity to soy protein too. We had to put him on Enfamil Nutramigen formula which has no milk or soy protein (they also make one in Similac), and while it didn't stop the reflux vomiting, he no longer cries in pain or refuses the bottle. He was diagnosed when he was 2 months old (he's 7 months now) b/c my pediatrician happens to have previously worked in a pediatric gastro-intenstinal unit at a hospital. It's a commonly missed problem, many doctors just assume the baby has colic b/c they're not commonly trained to look for this. But it's very easy to diagnose. Your pediatrician just needs to take a sample of your child's bowel movement, put it on this litmus-paper looking sheet and depending on what color it turns, voila you'll know. May as well call and see if they'll do that just to rule it out?

I'm sorry, I can only imagine how frustrating it is for yiu both! You've been doing a fabulous job trying to figure out what's going on, I agree that a specialist is definitely in need. Has she been gaining weight ok? My son had a touch of reflux, but never had to be medicated because it didn't seem to bother him and he gained weight just fine. While you continue your search for medical help for your daughter, I encourage you to pray for her, if you have not already. I firmly believe that prayer changes things...speak to your daughters body and command it with your words through faith that she shall be whole, and speak to that acid reflux and command it through faith to flee from her body! Amen:) I pray over my son, and you'll be pleased at the peace it brings. Hugs and kisses through this ordeal!

I know that you didn't ask, and I am not suppose to volunteer; but, your story broke my heart. Are you interested in knowing about digestive enzymes that she can drink and have in her system within 5 minutes? It could resolve the situation even more. Knowing that she needs some of the acid and totally removing it could be a problem for her, I had to volunteer...

S.
____@____.com

My son had acid reflux until he was about 6 or 7 months old. He would projectile vomit across the room. We just got used to it and laid out towels ready. When he started on solid foods it got a lot better and within a couple of weeks of solids he was "cured". Dr said it will come back when he is a pensioner but for now all is well. You will get through this, I know but at the time it's horrid. Stick with it - it gets easier....

Hello!

Just read your post...so sorry to hear about your precious baby. After reading what you wrote and watching some videos on youtube I am wondering if this is what our daughter has been dealing with!?!?

looking forward to seeing what other people post about this.. certainly has me curious!!

I have 2 children that both had issues with stomach trouble/reflux. After trying every change possible in both our diets, my son was put on Zantac and Reglan. This combination worked well for him. Then came my daughter, she started with trouble at about 6 weeks and continued until she was 22 months. Never sleeping for longer than a 30 minute stretch for all those months! We saw a Ped. GI specialist by the name of Dr. William Belknap for both kids. We tried EVERYTHING with her, finally the doctor tried her on Pepsid and within 1 week, she was sleeping through the night. The good news is that they have both outgrown it and are fine now. Good luck to you and don't give up. The doctors tried to tell me it was colic, but I knew it wasn't and had to be persistent!